Local Author Chronicles Legendary Giants Coach Bill Parcells
Carlo DeVito skillfully reveals the humanity behind football competitor
By Jeff Alexander
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published:
Sunday, December 18, 2011 2:09 AM EST
GHENT — The name Bill Parcells evokes strong reaction from sports fans, but the legendary New York Giants head coach has secured his place in NFL immortality due to his Super Bowl victories and fiery personality.
Parcells’ relentless work ethic has transformed franchises on the verge of the abyss to contenders and local author Carlo DeVito accepted the challenge to craft an engaging biography of the man otherwise referred to as Big Tuna.
“People didn’t realize how private of a person he was. My biggest challenge was to portray him as a three-dimensional character and finding people who would help me try to unlock keys to this personal life,” reflected Ghent resident Carlo DeVito.
No stranger to the world of publishing, DeVito has written several books on sports figures and his other passion, wine. DeVito and his wife Dominique own Hudson-Chatham Winery in Ghent.
Research for “Parcells: A Biography” took two years, as DeVito navigated through anecdotes, statistics and artifacts to present the man that has left an undeniable mark on the NFL.
“Parcells has proven he can win with differently styled teams. I think one of the many marks he left on the NFL is his family tree, so to speak. Look at the records of today’s coaches that he worked with,” said DeVito.
Tracing Parcells’ football lineage revealed impressive relationships with disciples Bill Belichick, Sean Payton, and Tom Coughlin. Belichick has won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots; Payton captured the only title in New Orleans Saints’ history in 2009; and Coughlin’s Giants stunned the world in 2007 after toppling the undefeated Patriots for the Super Bowl title.
“Without a doubt, Parcells resurrected Sean Payton’s career, who was the offensive coordinator with the Giants. They just didn’t know what to do with him so Parcells recruited him in Dallas, which ultimately led to his recommendation to coach the Saints. Parcells’ ability to motivate and facilitate talent was amazing,” said DeVito.
Parcells’ eye for talent was not strictly limited to coaches. He developed players Lawrence Taylor, Phil Simms, Jeff Hostetler, Chad Pennington and even Tony Romo, whose Dallas Cowboys are still in the running for an NFC East Division title as of press time. DeVito recounted some of his favorite polarizing moments in Parcells’ history.
“After winning titles with the Giants and going to the Dallas Cowboys, an arch rival of the Giants, many people were mixed about that. For me, the chance to coach a franchise as storied as the Cowboys was something nobody should pass up. When Parcells was there, he turned them into a formidable team and one thing he had was the ability to recognize talent and maximize it. Another moment was when he left the New York Jets coaching position to take a job with the hated Miami Dolphins, taking Jets quarterback Chad Pennington with him after the Jets signed Brett Favre.”
Pennington ended up beating his former team on the last game of the season and the 2008 Dolphins finished 11-5. Chad Pennington was recognized as 2008’s NFL “Comeback Player of The Year.” The Dolphins finished 1-15 the previous season.
“You couldn’t write a story better than that,” laughed DeVito.
DeVito added that Parcells had a hand in drafting Pennington, another branch to the coach’s NFL family tree.
“He does hold the record for completion percentage and I really think he was a class act,” DeVito said of Pennington.
DeVito remarked that the game has changed dramatically, but due to Parcells’ dedication, he would have no trouble earning victories in today’s pass-happy, media-saturated NFL.
“This is one of the many reasons why he was a compelling subject for me. He was consistent, which is something a lot of today’s teams lack. With Taylor on the Giants, Parcells changed the makeup of defenses and it’s a copycat league and people recognized his talent. You may have teams today with top-rated offenses, but their defenses are not so great. Look at the Patriots. Parcells is a proven winner and what I learned in my research for the book was how he pushed people’s buttons to get you to be your best. He was so fascinated by the game within the game and he knows how to speak to his players to make them succeed. But, as we all know, he could also be an outright jerk,” said DeVito.
Asked how he attempted to humanize Parcells in the book, DeVito focused heavily on the coach’s desire to help players improve their lives by conquering substance abuse.
“Just to educate himself and have a better understanding of what people were up against he actually checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. He got their families involved by helping them encourage his players by telling them how much he needed them,” said DeVito.
DeVito cited that Parcells pushed for mandatory drug testing in the league, worked tirelessly to assist legend Lawrence Taylor lead a healthy lifestyle, and how the Giants once had a reputation for drug abuse.
“A lot of people have overlooked that while assessing Parcells’ legacy. He was very disciplined but he looked out for players.”
In his book, DeVito cites Parcells as a turnaround artist, “a Rainmaker” and “No matter how much you loathed him or loved him, you had to admit it was fun watching him do it.”
“For me, the best Super Bowl was in 1990. Nobody favored the Giants to win but the road getting there was dramatic in itself; beating Joe Montana and the 49ers in the playoffs was thrilling.
The conclusion of the Super Bowl with the Bills’ Scott Norwood missing the field goal, wide right. They came up with a plan for the ages and it took all of Parcells’ know-how with a backup quarterback to win. That really stood out.”
The Giants had lost starter Phil Simms to injury earlier in the season and Jeff Hostetler rose to the challenge and finished the team’s dramatic road to victory. The Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills 20-19 as time expired to win Super Bowl XXV.
Despite Parcells leaving the league in 2010, DeVito adamantly believes his legacy lives on.
“You can hear people quoting him all the time. I think the Giants coach Tom Coughlin resembles him. Coughlin is a no-nonsense guy who wants to win, period, but without all of the drama. I also think the Saints’ Sean Payton resembles the cerebral side of Parcells.”
DeVito works to apply some of Parcells’ work ethic into his own life, taking motivational cues from the legendary coach.
“I’m a motivated guy. I work for Sterling Publishing and own Hudson-Chatham Winery. How do you work to beat back the fatigue and reinvent yourself? That is something coaches deal with and something that I have learned.”
To reach reporter Jeff Alexander, call 518-828-1616, or e-mail jalexander@regiserstar.com.
Read more at:
http://www.registerstar.com/articles/2011/12/18/news//doc4eed403f6c173965734304.txt
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